An Israeli opposition politician warned of the risk of a new war with Iran under Netanyahu, according to the Handelsblatt news blog, as developments across the region pointed to widening security and economic fallout. The blog gave no further details of the warning.
Iran said the United States attacked two fishing boats near Qeshm island, injuring one fisherman. Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported the claim, citing an official from Hormozgan province. There was no immediate US confirmation. Iran's supreme leader separately instructed the armed forces to respond immediately to any threat from enemies and without geographic limits, the blog reported.
In the West Bank, Hebron mayor Youssef al-Jabari warned that an Israeli military operation had sealed off the city. He told Al Jazeera that Israeli military vehicles were present on every street, more than 3,300 Palestinians had been displaced from two neighborhoods where homes were being demolished, and the Palestinian economy was losing about US$4 million a day. Businesses could not obtain raw materials or deliver goods, employees could not reach workplaces, more than 80,000 people lacked access to education, and hospitals could not treat patients from surrounding areas, he said.
Egypt's foreign minister, Badr Abdelatty, warned at the IISS Manama Dialog in Bahrain that further escalation in the US-Iran war would be more destructive and have far-reaching consequences. He said lessons must be drawn from the past. Pakistan's military spokesman offered cautious optimism about diplomatic efforts, saying chief negotiator Asim Munir would not have traveled to Tehran twice in October without positive signals. The spokesman also said influential spoilers and opponents of a settlement remained, without identifying them. Munir was last in Tehran on Monday with representatives from Saudi Arabia and Turkey, and Qatar has also sought de-escalation with a new proposal.
On diplomacy, Iran's foreign minister said there was no need for a meeting with the United States, while Iran linked talks with Washington to seven conditions, according to the blog. Rubio said no decision had yet been made on further US military action against Iran.
The Saudi-led military coalition said it intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone launched from Yemen over the Medina region. Yemeni government forces said Houthi rebels fired ballistic missiles at Aden airport and the Maasheq presidential palace; there was no immediate word on casualties, damage or whether the missiles hit their targets. The blog also reported that a UN employee abducted by the Houthis in Yemen had died.
The US Embassy in Riyadh told non-essential US government employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia, citing security risks from Houthi attacks on civilian airports and other key infrastructure. It said US government staff needed special permission to use Saudi airports after recent rocket and drone attacks, and warned American citizens of possible further attacks, airspace closures, flight cancellations and other travel disruption.
Oman's navy reported that a Panama-flagged commercial ship, the RITI, was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, about three kilometers off the coast of Musandam. A fire broke out and 25 crew members were brought to safety and given medical care. No information was immediately given about the attackers or the nature of the attack.
The blog also carried Revolutionary Guard reports that four tankers were burning in the Strait of Hormuz, an Iranian report of a burning supertanker and an agency report that an oil tanker was fired on as it left the strait. The reports did not provide further details.
Days before the US congressional elections, President Donald Trump said in an interview with Kansas City radio station KCMO that the Iran war would end soon but did not say how. He said the US needed a guarantee that Iran would never obtain a nuclear weapon. Trump had earlier said the US would not attack Iran again before the November 3 midterm elections. The war began in late February with an attack by the US and Israel; oil prices and fuel prices rose, putting pressure on Trump's Republicans ahead of the vote.
The blog also reported that Israel's president had announced talks on forming a government.
Sources: Handelsblatt.